roach tank

oldmann

New Member
On the fence as to building a plastic tub type enclosure for getting a dubia roach colony going. Right now I have a 20 gallon fish tank set up in my basement with a screen lid. It has a small undertank heater pad and also a dome light with a red bulb. Basement temps are 65. Placed 10 egg flats on edge on the one end with the heat pad and have about the same space open for feeding. Temps are good in the upper 80's for most of the tank. How many roaches can I raise inside this tank? Will it be enough to feed one cham once it gets established?

I know the ultimate would be a huge plastic tub with a screen top but this is what I have on hand for now. Will be painting the outside of the glass to darken it.

Thanks for your replies in advance.
 
How many roaches can I raise inside this tank? Will it be enough to feed one cham once it gets established?

Thanks for your replies in advance.
A few hundred should live okay in a 20gal. You'll see signs of overcrowding, like males with their wings chewed up, if too many. You'll have more than enough for one cham, and most likely become a roach dealer, selling off your extra's.
 
It really depends on how many adults you are going to have. Figure about 15 to 30 adults per chameleon you are going to feed from the colony, plus 1000 nymphs of the size you need for the chameleon to get you started. My current colony is housed in a tub (about 25 Gallons).

Current Colony
  • 100 - Adult Females
  • 20 - Adult Males
  • 1000ish - 1"+ Nymphs
  • 2000ish - 0.5"+ Nymphs
  • 1000ish - 0.125"+ Nymphs

This link is to the full description of my setup.
Dubias Sweet.... Post 13
 
A few hundred should live okay in a 20gal. You'll see signs of overcrowding, like males with their wings chewed up, if too many. You'll have more than enough for one cham, and most likely become a roach dealer, selling off your extra's.

Love the roach dealer approach lol!!! (You got roaches? lol):D. I just bought my first batch from Mulberry farms my husband couldn’t believe I actually bought them. Obviously I am no roach fan! We will see how my newbie does with them or I may ship them out to another member or freeze them.
 
Thanks for the replies. I will see how it goes for over crowding. Things should boom with enough heat and a steady diet of fruit, veggies and cricket crack. The local (only) pet store within a half hour only handles crickets and meal worms so I might just become the local roach dealer.

Psssstt, hey bud, c'mere, have I got a roach for you!
 
I'm a new roach raiser myself. I bought 200 nymphs and 10 adult pairs and I have to tell you that they are going crazy. I have 3 chams and I already forsee that I'll be in a surplus in the not so distant future. There are literally hundreds of baby roaches already and I've only had them 1 month.
 
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